BBC To Sell 8216Peel Sessions8217 Studios

London, UK (July 5, 2007)--According to reports published in UK's Sunday Times and NME.com, the BBC plans to sell its recording studios at Miada Vale, in West London. The facility includes the studio-home of the John Peel Sessions, and studios that hosted sessions with Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Nirvana and The Smiths, among many others. According to the Times, the impending sale is part of a six-year "reprioritisation" plan the BBC is drawing up as a result of the lower-than-expected license fee settlement it was granted by the government.

Maida Vale Studio 4 London, UK (July 5, 2007)--According to reports published in UK's Sunday Times and NME.com, the BBC plans to sell its recording studios at Miada Vale, in West London. The facility includes the studio-home of the John Peel Sessions, and studios that hosted sessions with Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Nirvana and The Smiths, among many others. According to the Times, the impending sale is part of a six-year "reprioritisation" plan the BBC is drawing up as a result of the lower-than-expected license fee settlement it was granted by the government.

Also, according to the Times, "the corporation believes the building is not suitable for the demands of the '21st-century digital age' and would cost too much to refurbish." The large Maida Vale facility--converted from a prewar ice rink--is home to studios used primarily by BBC Radio 1, 2 and 3. Maida Vale Studio 1 can accommodate a full 150+ piece symphony orchestra and full choir, audiences for live events and concerts. Maida Vale Studio 3 can accommodate up to 80 performers or audience, and Studio 4 is a large, two-level live room called "an ideal environment to record, mix and broadcast contemporary music styles."

According to NME, the plan is to sell it to a developer, although a final decision on the studio's fate won't be made until next year, and the BBC have yet to announce whether the studio will be replaced or not.